Three Brothers, Seven Guardians
by Hokuto Uchiha
Summary: AU. Roderich, Ludwig, and Gilbert are three brothers who are on the run from Jeremie Belpois, the headmaster of Kadic Academy, and his buddies. The brothers find themselves in Manhattan, where they're under the protection of Goliath and his clan.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. Every character in this story belongs to their respective creators. That's all. Enjoy.

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: Prologue<strong>

At Kadic Academy, Jeremie Belpois strode into his office, a dreary room with no color or anything cheerful, and sat down in the chair behind his desk.

"Ulrich, Yumi, William," Jeremie said to three of his friends from his Kadic days: Ulrich Stern, Yumi Ishiyama, and William Dunbar. "What's up?"

"We couldn't find any kids to bring here, Jeremie," said Yumi.

"Sorry, man," said William.

"Aelita, Odd? What about you two?" Jeremie asked two other people, a man with stupid-looking blond hair and a woman with short, pink hair. Their names were Odd Della Robbia and Aelita Stones. "Have you found anyone?"

"No," Aelita lied; she and Odd looked really uncomfortable around their former friend.

Jeremie slapped Aelita across the face. "You're lying, Aelita! You and Odd are hiding something from me! Fess up!"

Both Odd and Aelita shook.

"Okay, okay," Odd said. "You know those two brothers in Frankfurt you were searching for? Ludwig and Gilbert Beilschmidt? Well…they're still there, Jeremie."

Jeremie grinned. "Excellent news, Odd. Excellent. Those parents of theirs thought they could hide their wittle boys from _me_? Well, they was wrong."

"What do you want us to do?" Ulrich asked.

Jeremie thought hard for a moment, then spoke. "I want you five to go to Frankfurt. Find Claus and Elise Beilschmidt and make them hand over their brats. If they don't…kill them, and their eldest son, Roderich! Then take LuLu and GilGil."

"Those aren't their names, Jeremie," Aelita corrected in a scared voice. "Their names are Ludwig and Gilbert."

"Who the hell cares?" said Jeremie. "Find the Beilschmidts, and grab their brats! Right now! Then bring them here, and we'll…"educate" them."


	2. The Murders

**Author's Note: **Roderich is 19, Ludwig is 13, and Gilbert is 5 ½.

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: The Murders<strong>

Roderich, Ludwig, and Gilbert shuddered while hiding in the closet of Ludwig's bedroom in their home in Frankfurt. They shook harder as they heard the sounds of their parents, Claus and Elise Beilschmidt, screaming for their kids' lives.

"_Give us those fucking kids!" _an angry male voice shouted. A gunshot rang out.

"_You'll never get them!" _Claus yelled as he shot back.

"_Please, leave our family alone," _Elise pleaded, loud enough for her children to hear.

Roderich was standing in front of his little brothers, holding Lui's baseball bat tightly in both hands, ready to strike if anyone found them.

"Roddy?" Gilbert asked Roderich.

"What?" Roderich asked back.

"Um…are you and Vash…uh, together?" asked Gilbert.

"What?" Roderich asked, confused at what his youngest brother was talking about.

"Well, you're in the closet, so…" said Gilbert.

"Hey!" said Roderich. He looked like he really wanted to hit Gilbert with the bat more than the people downstairs. "Vash and I do not like-like each other! We're friends."

"Uh, guys, I don't think this is the time or the place to get into this," Ludwig warned. "In case you haven't noticed, there are people downstairs ATTACKING OUR PARENTS!"

"Sorry," Roderich said and stopped glaring at Gilbert.

"I'm scared," Gilbert said and huddled against Ludwig.

Ludwig hugged Gilbert. "Don't worry, Big Brother will protect you."

"Ssh!" Roderich said urgently to his brothers. "I think I heard something."

The brothers heard the sounds of things breaking, followed by shouting, then more gunshots, along with their parents screaming in pain as they got hit.

Gilbert started to cry. "Mommy, Daddy."

Ludwig buried Gilbert's face into his shirt. "Ssh, quiet, Little Prussia."

Roderich, Ludwig, and Gilbert then heard the voice of Jeremie speaking harshly to their mother and father.

"_Okay, Claus, Elise," _Jeremie said. _"My comrades and I will give you two one more chance. Will you give us Mudgig and Gilbert?"_

"That's. Not. My. NAME!" Ludwig said angrily and quietly, and gritted his teeth. It really took all his willpower to not run out of the closet and downstairs to Jeremie and the others.

"_Or will we have to take them from you by force?" _came the voice of Yumi.

"_You'll…have to kill us…first…" _Claus said weakly.

"_Okay, then," _said Ulrich. _"You want to die, so be it." _Six gunshots could be heard, and the brothers all jumped at the sounds. Claus and Elise's voices couldn't be heard anymore.

Roderich knelt on the floor of the closet and dropped the bat, while Ludwig held Gilbert tighter. Then they froze when they heard Jeremie speaking to his buddies.

"_Find those kids," _Jeremie ordered. _"And if their dorky brother is with them, kill him, too."_

"_Do we have to?" _Odd asked. He really didn't want to cause Roddy, Lui, and Gilbo any more pain.

"_Yes, we have to, moron!" _Jeremie yelled. _"Now, you and Aelita follow Ulrich and Yumi, and find those brats! NOW!"_

"_Y-Y-Yes, Jeremie," _Odd and Aelita said in scared voices. They retreated upstairs after Ulrich and Yumi, while Jeremie was probably thinking of how to dispose of Claus and Elise's bodies.

"_Scheiße," _Roderich said nervously. "We're done for."

"Big Brother," Gilbert said, his face still buried in Ludwig's shirt. He was now shaking like a leaf.

"We're not done yet," Ludwig said as he and his brothers heard Ulrich, Yumi, Odd, and Aelita's footsteps going in and out of the upstairs rooms of the house. He handed Gilbert to Roderich and slowly opened the closet door. Then he spoke in a whisper, because the footsteps were getting closer to his room. "Come on, follow me. We're going out the window."

Roderich and Gilbert—who was holding a teddy bear—followed Ludwig to his bedroom window and watched as he opened it.

"Are you crazy?" Roderich said when he looked out the window.

"Just go out the fucking window!" Ludwig whispered. "We don't have time for your whining about jumping from the second story!"

"Fine," said Roderich. He held Gilbert out the window. "You first, Little Prussia."

"I'm scared, Roddy," said Gilbert.

"Don't worry, Lui and I are right behind you," said Roderich. He watched as Gilbert climbed down from the roof of the house, then waited until Ludwig was safely outside before climbing out himself.

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><p>Ulrich, Yumi, Odd, and Aelita reported back to Jeremie, who was just absently poking at Claus and Elise's corpses with a fire poker.<p>

"Well?" Jeremie said as he looked up and saw that his buddies were back. "Where are the brats?"

"Jeremie, we're really sorry," said Ulrich.

"We're not," Odd and Aelita said under their breath.

"But we couldn't find Ludwig and Gilbert, or Roderich," Yumi finished for Ulrich.

Jeremie instantly stopped poking the dead bodies before him, dropped the poker, and stood up. His face was red with anger. "What? What do you mean, you couldn't find them? How hard is it to locate a thirteen-year-old and a six-year-old? _Especially _a six-year-old?" Then he started cursing in French and delivered punches to Odd and Aelita, who were happy that the Beilschmidt brothers had gotten away.

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><p>Roderich, Ludwig, and Gilbert were walking quickly through the streets of Frankfurt, hiding behind buildings.<p>

"Roddy, carry me," said Gilbert. He held out his arms to his eldest brother.

"Oh, okay," said Roderich. He picked Gilbert up; they moved much faster when Gilbert was being carried anyway.

"Where are we gonna go?" Ludwig asked Roderich.

"I don't know," Roderich replied. "We'll have to catch a boat leaving Germany. We can't stay here anymore."

Ludwig sighed sadly.

"We hafta leave?" Gilbert said. He really didn't like the idea of leaving his friends.

"I'm sorry, guys," said Roderich. "But we have to get out of the country. It's the only way I can keep you two safe from those bastards."

The brothers kept walking until they reached a port. Luckily, Roderich had gotten passports for himself, Ludwig, and Gilbert earlier in the year for just in case they had to leave the country for whatever reason. Then they hopped the first boat out of Germany, headed for America.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>_Scheiße- _Shit (German)

P.S.: Also, in this story, Roddy's birthday is October 26, Lui's birthday is January 18, and Gilbo's (or little Prussia's) birthday is October 25.


	3. On a Boat, or Prussian Overboard!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the song "I'm on a Boat". That song belongs to Lonely Island and T-Pain, I think.

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: Prussian Overboard!<strong>

The voyage to America was a long one. Ludwig was sitting on deck, bored while watching Gilbert annoying Roderich by rapping "I'm on a Boat".

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><p>Gilbert was running around the deck, startling passengers and rapping.<p>

"_**Aww, shit.**_

_**Get your towels ready, it's about to go down**_

_**Everybody in the place, hit the fucking deck!**_

_**But stay on your motherfucking toes**_

_**We running this, let's go**_

_**I'm on a boat. I'm on a boat.**_

_**Everybody look at me 'cause I'm sailing on a boat**_

_**I'm on a boat. I'm on a boat.**_

_**Take a good hard look at the motherfucking boat!"**_

"Gilbert Wilhelm Beilschmidt!" Roderich shouted as he chased after his baby brother. "Watch your language, or you're grounded!" But Gilbert didn't listen.

"_**I'm on a boat, motherfucker**_

_**Take a good look at me**_

_**Straight floatin on a boat on the deep blue sea**_

_**Busting out five knots,**_

_**Wind whipping out my coat."**_

Gilbert then stopped, turned around, and pointed at Roderich.

"_**You can't stop me, motherfucker**_

'_**Cause I'm on a boat!**_

_**Take a picture, trick**_

_**I'm on a boat, bitch!**_

_**We drinking Santana Champ,**_

'_**Cause it's so crisp**_

_**I got my swim trunks**_

_**And my flippie-floppies**_

_**I'm flipping burgers,**_

_**You at Kinko's**_

_**Straight flipping copies**_

_**I'm riding on a dolphin,**_

_**Doing flips and shit**_

_**The dolphin's splashing,**_

_**Getting everybody all wet**_

_**But this ain't SeaWorld,**_

_**This is real as it gets**_

_**I'm on a boat, motherfucker,**_

_**Don't you ever forget!**_

_**I'm on a boat and**_

_**It's going fast and**_

_**I got a nautical-themed pashmina afghan**_

_**I'm the king of the world**_

_**On a boat like Leo**_

_**If you're on the shore**_

_**Then you're sure not me-oh**_

_**Get the fuck up, this boat is real!"**_

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><p>Ludwig stood up and shook his head. "Screw this." He walked away from his brothers and went to be bored someplace else, when someone jumped him from behind. "AAAAAAAHHHH!"<p>

"Ciao, stranger!" an Italian voice said cheerfully.

"_Runter von mir!" _Ludwig yelled. He began doing a crazy dance, trying to get whoever was on his back off. Finally, he managed to shake whoever had startled him off and turned to face the person who scared him. Turned out the voice he heard belonged to a young boy about his age.

A Japanese boy the same age as Ludwig and the other boy came up to the pair. "Feli, what the hell?" He faced Ludwig and bowed respectfully. "I'm so sorry about my friend; he's a little crazy."

"My name's Feliciano Vargas," the Italian boy said, wearing a dopey smile. Feliciano put his arm around the Japanese boy. "And this is my new friend, Honda Kiku. Honda, say hello to our new friend."

"My name's Kiku," Kiku said. "Honda's my last name."

"Uh…nice to meet you," Ludwig said. "My name's Ludwig Beilschmidt. What are you guys doing in this dump?"

"You stupid potato, we're on our way to America, just like you," a cranky 16-year-old Italian boy said. He was munching on a tomato.

"Who are you?" Ludwig asked.

"Lui, this is my big brother, Lovino," Feliciano said, introducing the elder Italian boy to his new BFF. "Isn't he shizzy?"

"Uh, sure…yeah, shizzy, whatever," said Ludwig.

"Lovino's the coolest big brother ever!" Feliciano said. "Right, Lovi? Now say hi to my new friend."

Lovino just looked at Ludwig and rolled his eyes. "Grow some balls, you damn potato eater."

Feliciano pulled Lovino away. "It's hug time."

"Will you stop it with your hug therapy, stupid?" Lovino screamed.

Ludwig sighed. "I'll never understand Italians."

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><p>While Ludwig was hanging out with his new friends, Gilbert made a couple new friend himself: Lovino and Feliciano's 6-year-old brother, Savio, and another boy, 9-year-old Peter Kirkland. They were all now standing on the edge of the ship, rapping "I'm on a Boat" while Roderich was busy breaking up with his harem back in Frankfurt via text message.<p>

**Gilbert: **_**Fuck land, I'm on a boat, motherfucker!**_

_**Fuck trees, I climb buoys, motherfucker!**_

_**I'm on the deck with my boys, motherfucker!**_

_**This boat engine make noise, motherfucker!**_

**Savio: **_**Hey, Ma, if you could see me now**_

_**Arms spread wide on the starboard bow**_

_**Gonna' fly this boat to the moon somehow**_

_**Like Kevin Garnett,**_

_**Anything is possible**_

**Peter: **_**Yeah, never thought I'd be on a boat **_

_**It's a big blue Watery road **_

_**Poseidon look at me**_

_**Oh, never thought I'd see the day**_

_**When a big boat coming my way**_

_**Believe me when I say I fucked a mermaid**_

**Peter, Savio, and Gilbert:**_** I'm on a boat.**_

_**I'm on a boat.**_

_**Everybody look at me **_

'_**Cause I'm sailing on a boat!**_

_**I'm on a boat.**_

_**I'm on a boat.**_

_**Take a good, hard look**_

_**At the motha' fuckin' boat!**_

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><p>After he and his friends were done rapping, Gilbert lost his balance on the edge of the boat and screamed as Savio and Peter held on to him. "Help me!"<p>

"Don't worry, Gilbo, we've got you!" Peter said.

"I'm slipping!" Gilbert cried. "Roddy! Roddy, help!"

"I'll get him," Savio said and ran over to Roderich, who was now flirting with a girl named Blair.

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><p>"You know, I'm a pianist," Roderich said.<p>

"Roderich, Gilbo's—" Savio began, but was abruptly cut off by Roderich.

"Go away, you little pest," Roderich said, then turned back to Blair. "Now, where were we?"

"You were telling me you're a pianist," said Blair. "I have a thing for musicians, you know." She leaned in and put her arms around Roderich.

"Roddy!" Savio said urgently. "It's important!"

Roderich pushed Savio away. "I said go away, you little Italian insect."

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><p>"Savino, I can't hold on much longer!" Peter called out.<p>

"I want my mommy and daddy!" Gilbert said. Finally, he slipped through Peter's grip and fell into the ocean with a loud splash.

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><p>Roderich heard the splash and was jolted out of his moment with Blair. "What was that?"<p>

"Probably just a whale, Roddykins," said Blair.

Peter came over to Roderich, Blair, and Savio. He looked upset. "I'm sorry, Savino, I couldn't hold on any longer."

"What happened?" Roderich asked. "And where's my brother?"

"I was trying to tell you that Gilbo was in trouble!" Savio yelled at Roderich. "Pete, where's Gilbo?"

"He fell into the ocean," said Peter.

Roderich pushed away from Blair and ran over to the side of the boat. He looked down into the sea and saw a huge ripple where Gilbert had landed. "No…Gilbo, no, no!"

Ludwig, Feliciano, Kiku, and Lovino came up to Roderich, Blair, Peter, and Savio after hearing Roderich, Savio, and Peter's frantic yelling.

"What happened?" Kiku asked.

"Gilbo fell overboard!" Roderich said.

"I'm sorry, _fratelli_," Savio said to his older brothers. "I couldn't hold on to my new friend."

"It's not your fault, _fratellino_," Feliciano said.

"What do you mean Gilbo fell overboard?" Ludwig said.

"He lost his balance on the edge of the boat, and he fell 'cause we couldn't hold on any longer," said Peter.

"Roddy, go in and save him!" Ludwig said.

"But these clothes…they're my good ones," Roderich protested.

"Fine!" Ludwig said angrily while Lovino glared daggers at Roderich. "I'll go in and save him, since I'm clearly a better brother than you! What would Mom and Dad think if they heard what you just said, Roddy?" Not caring that his clothes were going to be soaked afterwards, he jumped into the ocean.

Roderich, Lovino, Kiku, Feliciano, Peter, Savio, and Blair all watched anxiously for any sign of Ludwig and Gilbert. Minutes later, Ludwig emerged from the water and was helped back into the boat by Kiku and Feliciano.

"I'm really sorry," Ludwig said, looking down at the wooden floor of the boat as a dry towel was draped over his shoulders. "All I could find was Gilbo's bear." He held up a teddy bear that was also soaking wet.

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><p>As the boat continued its voyage to America, Roderich, Ludwig, and the others were all worried about one thing: little Gilbert's safety, andor whether he would be found at all.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>_Runter von mir!_- Get off me! (German)

_fratelli- _brothers (Italian)

_fratellino- _little brother (Italian)


	4. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to NYC

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Binks' Sake or Brook's skull jokes; they belong to the creator of One Piece.

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><p><strong>Chapter 4: Aboard the Going MerryA Funny Thing Happened on the Way to NYC**

Gilbert got scared and was forced to let go of his stuffed bear as the huge waves of the ocean carried him away from the boat and his brothers. "Help me!" He tried swimming with all his might, but failed as the waves came crashing down on him and sent him underneath the water.

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><p>Meanwhile, back on the boat to America, Roderich, Ludwig, Lovino, Feliciano, Savio, Kiku, Kiku's sibs, Yao, Chi, Kaoru, Mei, and Yong Soo, Blair, Peter, and Peter's brother, Arthur, were talking to the captain of the boat, Smoker.<p>

"I only took my eyes off him for one second!" Roderich exclaimed frantically. "One second, and Little Prussia was gone!" Blair put her arms around him.

"All I found was Gilbo's bear," Ludwig said, holding up the stuffed bear he had pulled from the water earlier.

"Little Prussia?" Smoker asked in confusion. "Okay, are we talking about the same kid here? One minute you said Gilbo, and the next you said Little Prussia."

"YES, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE SAME FUCKING KID!" Roderich yelled.

"One second?" Peter yelled at the four-eyed soon-to-be-again pimp.

"Peter, now's not the time to be yelling at Roderich," Arthur scolded.

"But, Iggy, he bloody ignored Savio when he was trying to tell Roddy McNerdface that Gilbo was in trouble," said Peter.

"Oh, really?" Arthur said, glaring at Roderich.

"Mr. Smoker, Roddy didn't take his eyes off Gilbo for one second," Savio told the captain. "He ignored Gilbo for a couple minutes."

"Roderich, is your last name Edelstein or McNerdface?" Smoker asked. "Because Peter here called you Roddy McNerdface." He started laughing at Roderich.

"My last name's EDELSTEIN!" Roderich yelled. "Got it memorized?"

"Alright, alright, just asking," said Smoker. "Now, what does Gilbo look like?"

"He looks like a fucking five-and-a-half-year-old kid, stupid!" Roderich exclaimed in a frustrated voice.

"Roddy, he's just trying to help," said Kiku.

Ludwig stepped in to answer Smoker's question, being that Roderich was just yelling at the guy. "He's five and a half years old. Platinum blond hair and red-violet eyes. H-He was wearing a blue Pokemon T-shirt—with a Pikachu on it—and denim shorts, and white socks and black and blue Velcro sneakers."

Smoker wrote all this down and looked at Roderich and Ludwig. "Alright. I'll radio the Coast Guard and the Marines, and have them search for your brother. We'll do our best to find Little Prussia…Gilbo, whatever he's called."

"Thanks so much, Sir Captain of the Round Boat," said Feliciano.

"My name isn't Sir Captain, it's Smoker," Smoker corrected the middle Vargas brother. "And this boat isn't round, as you should've seen when you left Italy." He left, went back into his cabin, and phoned the Coast Guard and the Marines, telling them to search for Gilbert.

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><p>In the ocean, far away from his brothers now, Gilbert was slowly sinking to the bottom due to not being able to swim that well. He was now struggling to stay conscious and not drown.<p>

'_Why didn't Roddy help me?' _he thought as his eyelids got heavy and he could no longer breathe. _'Stupid Roddy McPimp and his stupid harem thingy! With my last breath, I curse you, big brother!' _He finally lost consciousness.

Just then, a small whale saw Gilbert and caught him on his back. Then he quickly brought him back up to the surface of the ocean and swam towards the Going Merry. The whale squeaked for the boat's owners to come over and see what he found.

Brook, a skeleton and resident musician of the Going Merry, came over to the side of the boat and looked at the whale. "Laboon, what's that you've got there?" Laboon showed Brook Gilbert, who was still unconscious. "Oh no! Quick, give him to me." He reached out for Gilbert, and Laboon handed the kid to him.

Brook brought Gilbert over to the other people on the Going Merry. "Hey, guys, look what—I mean, who—Laboon found."

"Who?" Luffy, the captain of the Going Merry, asked. He had just taken his turn in Monopoly and stopped moving his piece when he saw Gilbert in Brook's arms. "A little kid?"

"Where did he come from?" Vivi asked.

"Who cares?" Nami asked. "We've gotta get him off this ship, or else the Marines'll be all over us!"

"Oh, shut up, Nami," said Roronoa Zoro.

"What are we going to do with him?" Nico Robin asked.

"Let's put him in Nami's cabin!" Luffy said excitedly. He took Gilbert from Brook and held him. "Aw, he's so cute! Zoro can we keep him?"

"No, Luffy, the boy's not a puppy," an annoyed Zoro said.

"Why do we have to put him on _my _bed?" Nami whined.

"Because Luffy said so," said Robin.

"No, because your bed's comfortable, Nami," said Tony Tony Chopper, resident doctor on the ship. "Wait a minute, Luffy, he needs CPR."

Luffy set Gilbert down on the deck, and Chopper gave the boy CPR until Gilbert coughed up water. Gilbert groaned and opened his eyes for just a moment, then lost consciousness once again.

Luffy then picked Gilbert up and went into Nami's cabin, not listening to Nami yelling at him to not put Gilbert on her bed. Then he laid Gilbert to rest under Nami's covers, walked out of the cabin, and quietly closed the door behind him.

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><p>A few hours later, Gilbert slowly opened his eyes and finally woke up. He found himself in Nami's bed. He got up and looked around the cabin, not recognizing his surroundings.<p>

"Where am I?" Gilbert said to himself. He opened the cabin door and stepped out onto the deck, where Luffy, Usopp, Vivi, Robin, Zoro, Chopper, and Brook, sans Sanji, were back to playing Monopoly.

Luffy and the others looked up from their game and saw that Gilbert was up and about.

"Hey, you're finally awake," said Luffy. He flashed a goofy grin.

"Where am I?" Gilbert asked.

"You're aboard the Going Merry!" Luffy said excitedly.

"The Going Merry…" Gilbert said. "Wait, then that means you're Monkey D. Luffy!" He then looked at the others with excitement. "And you guys are Roronoa Zoro, Vivi, Nico Robin, Nami, Usopp, Franky, Tony Tony Chopper, and Brook!"

"Yup," said Zoro. "That's us, the Straw Hat Pirates."

"Lunchtime!" Sanji called, bringing out a big turkey and some other food. He noticed Gilbert. "Looks like our adorable little guest is awake, too. Good thing I brought out this extra plate." He set the plates down, and everyone rushed to the table, piled food on their plates, and started eating. Luffy, of course, piled food up to the ceiling! It was a wonder that the food didn't fall on top of everybody.

"And you're Sanji, right?" Gilbert asked the Going Merry's cook.

"That's right, little guy," said Sanji. He ruffled Gilbert's hair.

"Wow!" Gilbert exclaimed with starstruck fascination, his predicament momentarily forgotten. "I'm actually on the Going Merry with the Straw Hat Pirates! You guys are awesome!" He took a bite of a warm, flaky biscuit.

"I'm sure it's great to you, but we need to know something," said Robin.

"What?" Gilbert asked.

"Where did you come from?" Vivi asked.

Gilbert looked down at his plate. "Well…my big brothers and I were on a boat from Frankfurt to someplace in America. I was playing with a couple kids I met, and then I fell off the boat. Roddykins didn't help me, and West wasn't with me. I had my stuffed bear, but I lost it when I fell."

"Who are Roddykins and West?" Usopp asked.

"They're my big brothers," said Gilbert. "Roddykins' real name is Roderich, and West's real name is Ludwig." He got mad when Luffy, Zoro, and Usopp laughed. "What? What's so funny?"

"Your brother's name!" Luffy said through fits of laughter.

"What kind of name is Ludwig?" said Zoro.

"I know, West's real name is stupid," said Gilbert. "Roddykins said that Mommy was still under her meds when West was born, so that's why she named him that." He got upset when he mentioned his mother. "I want Mommy and Daddy!"

"Uh, where are they?" asked Brook.

"They're in Heaven," said Gilbert. "Hey, are you guys going to America, too?"

"Yeah, actually," said Vivi.

"We need to stock up on food and other supplies," said Franky. "And Sanji said that New York City has a lot of the best food, so we're going there."

"Not to mention a lot of hot chicks," Sanji said.

"That would be the perfect place for Roddykins, 'cause he'll want a new harem," said Gilbert.

"Maybe your brothers are heading there," said Chopper. Then he felt Gilbert's forehead and took his pulse, and did other doctor stuff, which really annoyed poor Gilbert. "Got a fever? Nope. Okay, your pulse is fine. Let's check your blood pressure…okay, that's fine, too…Alright, let's check your—"

"Stop it," Gilbert whined. He tried to get Chopper to leave him alone. "I'm fine."

"Chopper, he's fine," Nami said firmly.

"Okay," said Chopper. "But you can never be too careful, you know."

* * *

><p>Two days later, Luffy had an idea.<p>

"Hey, everybody!" Luffy said. "Let's celebrate the arrival of our new friend!"

"Alright, I get to play music!" Brook said happily. He then started playing the piano, and everyone began the celebration.

**Everybody: **_**Yohohoho, Yohohoho!**_

_**Yohohoho, Yohohoho!**_

_**Yohohoho, Yohohoho!**_

_**Yohohoho, Yohohoho!**_

_**Binksu no sake wo, todokeni yuku yo**_

_**Umikaze kimakase namimakase**_

_**Shio no mukou de, yuhi wo sawagu**_

_**Sora nya wao kaku tori no uta**_

_**Sayonara minato,**_

_**Tsumugi no sata yo,**_

_**DON to ichou utao,**_

_**Funade no uta**_

_**Kinpa-ginpa mo, shibuki ni kaete**_

_**Oretachi yuku so, umi no kagiri**_

"Wow, this is fun!" Gilbert exclaimed.

**Everybody: **_**Binksu no sake wo, todokeni yuku yo**_

**Luffy and Gilbert: **_**Warera kaizoku, umi wateku**_

**Everybody: **_**Nami wo makura ni, negura wa fune yo**_

_**Honi hatani, ketateru wa dokuro**_

_**Arashi ga kita so, senri no sora ni**_

_**Nami ga odoru no, DRAMA nadase**_

Laboon decided to join in by squeaking along to the music.

**Everybody: **_**Okubyou kazi ne, fukakerya saigo**_

_**Asu no asashi**_

_**Ga nai ya nashi**_

_**Yohohoho, Yohohoho!**_

_**Yohohoho, Yohohoho!**_

_**Yohohoho, Yohohoho!**_

_**Yohohoho, Yohohoho!**_

**Brook: **_**Binksu no sake wo, todokeni yuku yo,**_

_**Kyuoka asu ka, toyoi no yume**_

_**Te wo furu kage ni, mou aenai yo**_

_**Nani wo kuyo kuyo, asu mo tsukuyo**_

**Everybody: **_**Binksu no sake wo, todokeni yuku yo**_

_**DON to icho utao, unaba no uta**_

_**Douse dare demo, itsuka wa hone yo**_

_**Hate nashi ate nashi, waraiba nashi**_

_**Yohohoho, Yohohoho!**_

_**Yohohoho, Yohohoho!**_

_**Yohohoho, Yohohoho!**_

_**Yohohoho, Yohohoho!**_

"Yay!" Gilbert cheered. "That was so much fun, guys!"

"Glad you had fun, kid," said Zoro.

"Now, it's time for some jokes and stories," Usopp announced. "I'll go first."

"No way, Usopp," said Brook. "I played music, so I get to go first."

Usopp pouted as everyone sat down and listened to Brook telling his joke.

"Okay, here goes," Brook said cheerfully as Gilbert munched on a chocolate doughnut. "You know, it's been a few decades since I've had anything to eat or drink."

"What kinda joke is this?" Gilbert asked.

"It became so painful that the back of my stomach and my back itself were almost indistinguishable," Brook continued. "That was the kind of life I lived for so many years."

Gilbert didn't know whether or not he liked this joke.

"But then again, I'm a skeleton, so I don't have a stomach or a back!" Brook finally said. "Yohohohohohoho! Skull Jooooke!"

Just then, everyone, including Gilbert started laughing.

Brook told another joke. "You liked that one, huh? Here's another. I remember feeling the wind and sea on my face when sailing on the high seas. Decades ago, I lost that feeling."

"Poor Brook," Gilbert said.

"Now I can't feel anything," Brook concluded. "But then again, I'm a skeleton, so I don't have skin! Yohohohohohoho! Skull Joooke!" Everyone laughed and clapped at Brook's joke.

"Okay, Brook Skellington, my turn," Usopp said, pushing the skeleton musician out of the way. Then he started his story. "Did I ever tell you guys the story of when I wrestled and defeated the Great Beast of Aaaahhh?"

"No," Gilbert replied excitedly.

"Okay, then, I'll tell you," said Usopp. "This all happened when I was about your age, Gilbert."

"Really?" asked Gilbert.

"Yeah," said Usopp. "I was fishing with my mom, when all of a sudden…a great, big, blue-green monster rose out of the bottom of the sea, as big as the White House!"

"Whoa!" Gilbert said.

"You're darn right, 'Whoa!'" said Usopp. "Well, the monster capsized our boat and ate all our catch! All hope seemed lost, until I summoned strength I never knew I had! I light glowed around me, and I went up to the great beast and said, 'Hey, you! You ate our dinner, you jackass!'"

"What did the monster do?" Luffy asked.

Nami, Robin, Vivi, Franky, Brook, Sanji and Zoro sighed.

"Luffy, I can't believe you're believing this crap," Zoro said to his captain.

"Shut up, Zoro, I'm not finished," said Usopp. "Anyway, after I said that, the monster charged at me with everything it had! I rained down blow upon blow on the monster, until it got smart and started dodging my punches. I had no choice but to wrestle it. It took a whole ten hours, but I finally beat the thing by using my newfound strength to pick the monster up and throw it clear across the ocean, all the way to someplace in Africa! I was the talk of the whole town, a hero."

"Wow!" said Gilbert. "What a great story. I wish I could've been a hero to Mommy and Daddy. Then they'd be alive."

Vivi looked at Gilbert. "You actually believed that story?"

"Yeah," said Gilbert.

"Don't believe anything Usopp tells you," said Robin. "He's a liar."

"Hey, that was real!" Usopp said.

"Yeah, right," said the rest of the crew, except Luffy and Gilbert. Gilbert was still looking around at everybody, not sure whether or not to believe Usopp.

* * *

><p>Two more days after that, Usopp woke up early in the morning and saw the Statue of Liberty in the distance. He took out a bugle from who-knows-where and played a cavalry call. "Everybody up! Get up! I see land!"<p>

Everybody hurried out of their cabins, Luffy carrying a very sleepy Gilbert on his back.

"Where, Usopp?" Luffy asked.

"There!" Usopp replied, pointing traight ahead. "Right in front of us!"

"We're finally approaching New York," said Sanji. "Now I can get the food I need."

* * *

><p>A few hours later, they made port and got off their ship. Luffy was still giving Gilbert a piggyback ride as he got off the Going Merry.<p>

"Land ho—WHOA!" Usopp said, falling into the water.

"Uh-oh," said Luffy. "Don't worry, I'll pull ya out, Usopp!" He stretched his arms and pulled a very drenched Usopp out of the ocean.

"Why didn't you just leave him in the sea?" Nami asked.

"Hey!" Usopp whined. "That's not very nice."

"We should look around for Gilbert's brothers, guys," Vivi said.

"Good idea," said Zoro. He took Gilbert off Luffy's back and put him on his own back, letting Gilbert scan the crowd of people for Roderich and Ludwig.

Just then, a Coast Guard official came up to the Straw Hats. "Hi, United States Coast Guard. We were looking for this kid after he fell from a boat heading here. Thanks for finding him."

"No prob," said Luffy.

"Do you know where his brothers are?" asked Vivi.

"Yes, they're right this way," said the Coast Guard guy. He led the pirates and Gilbert over to Roderich and Ludwig's location.


	5. Reunion, Rejection, and Ruined Tomatoes

**Chapter 5: Reunion, Rejection, and Splattered Tomatoes**

The Coast Guard official led Gilbert and the Straw Hats to the office where Roderich and Ludwig were sitting. They looked like they hadn't left the place for days.

Gilbert perked up upon seeing his big brothers again. "Roddy, West!" Zoro put him down, and he ran towards his big brothers, smiling.

"Gilbo!/Little Prussia!" Roderich and Ludwig said happily as they looked up and saw their baby brother running towards them.

Roderich picked Gilbert up and hugged him to his chest. "Gilbo, I thought we lost you."

"I'm sorry I wasn't there to make Roddy McPimp take his stupid eyes off his stupid harem," Ludwig said as he put his arms around Gilbert. "Oh, someone missed you." He showed Gilbert the stuffed bear he recovered from the ocean.

Gilbert grinned and his eyes shone when he took the bear from Ludwig. "You saved Prussia! Thanks, West!"

"Thanks so much for saving our brother," Roderich said to the Coast Guard guy. Then he glared at the Straw Hats. "Sir, I want those people arrested!"

The Straw Hats looked at Roderich in surprise.

"You ungrateful—!" Zoro exclaimed.

"Why would you want us arrested?" Luffy yelled.

"Roddy!" Gilbert exclaimed.

"It's obvious those people saved him from—" Ludwig shouted, but got interrupted by Roderich.

"Shut up, the both of you," Roderich said. He set Gilbert down in Ludwig's lap, then turned his attention back to the Coast Guard guy and the Straw Hats. "Now, I want these people arrested for abducting my little brother! All of them…" He looked at Nami, Robin, and Vivi. "Well…all of them except the ladies, actually; they obviously didn't do anything wrong."

Nami, Robin, and Vivi looked uneasily at the former Pimp of Frankfurt.

Roderich walked over to the three Straw Hat girls. "Hello there. How would you three lovely ladies like to have the honor of becoming part of my new American harem?"

Gilbert and Ludwig face palmed.

"I knew it," Gilbert groaned. "Stupid pimp brother."

"I know, Gilbo, I know," Ludwig replied.

"What?" Feliciano asked; he and Kiku had stayed by Lui's side the entire time Gilbert was lost at sea.

"Your big brother's a pimp?" Kiku asked.

"Ja," Ludwig said, his face red with embarrassment. "Back in Frankfurt, he had ten girls in his harem. He was known as The Pimp of Frankfurt."

"I pity you," Lovino said, munching on a tomato.

Ludwig's voice was muffled due to his head being in his shirt. "I don't need your pity, Tomato. I need my brother to stop being a pimp."

"Hey, don't call me Tomato, Potato!" Lovino said.

"Stop yelling at him, Lovi," Savio pleaded.

"Man, I feel sorry for you, Gilbo," Peter said.

"Hey, Arthur's a wizard, right?" Gilbert asked.

"Yeah," Peter answered. "Why?"

"Can he turn Roddy into a non-pimp?" Gilbert asked.

"Um, sorry, I don't think he can do that," said Peter. "There are things wizards aren't allowed to do, and I think that's one of them."

Meanwhile, Roderich was trying to get Nami, Vivi, and Robin to join his harem.

"No, thanks," Nami said, disgusted.

"Well…what if you all became my girlfriends?" Roderich asked desperately.

"We said no!" the girls all said at the same time.

"Aw, come ooooonnnnnn," Roderich whined.

"The ladies said no, pal," Sanji said defensively.

"And one more thing," Brook said, getting in Roderich's face. "We didn't snatch your little bro, we found him and saved him from drowning, you idiot."

The Coast Guard guy shook his head at Roderich. "Jack Skellington here's right. You're an idiot." He walked away, leaving the Beilschmidt, Vargas, Honda, and Kirkland siblings, and the Straw Hats, free to go.

Ludwig held Gilbert's hand as they walked away from the port, while Roderich went back up to Nami, Vivi, and Robin.

"Here we go again," Ludwig said to Gilbert. Both the brothers rolled their eyes at their big brother.

"See what I hafta put up with, Prussia?" Gilbert asked his bear.

"So, we're boyfriend and girlfriends, right?" Roderich asked. This made the girls mad.

Nami, Vivi, and Robin each grabbed a tomato from Lovino, who started cursing in Italian at his tomatoes being stolen.

"The least you could do is ask!" Lovino finally said after a long string of curses.

"Wow, Lovi's got a colorful vocabulary, huh, Savino?" Feliciano asked his baby brother.

"Si, Feli," said Savio.

Nami's eye twitched as she spoke. "What part of 'No' don't you understand?" She, Vivi, and Robin all threw the tomatoes right at Roderich. Afterwards, they walked back to the Straw Hat guys.

"GAH!" Roderich cried as he was hit.

"Hey, those tomatoes were from Venice!" Lovino cried sadly. "My poor tomatoes."

"Don't cry, fratello," Feliciano said gently as he and Savio tried comforting their big brother.

"We'll get you some more tomatoes," Savio said happily.

Roderich staggered back to his little brothers, who were waiting impatiently for him. "Come on…let's go…I need a bath…"

Ludwig and Gilbert waved to their friends, then went with Roderich to look for a place to stay for a bit, and for someone to protect them from Jeremie and his buddies.


	6. Meet Dr Facilier

**Author's Note: **Get ready for the brothers meeting Dr. Facilier later in the chapter, and for the song _Friends on the Other Side_ from _The Princess and the Frog_!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own _The Princess and the Frog_; that belongs to Disney.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6: Meet Dr. Facilier<strong>

A few hours after being reunited, Roderich, Ludwig, and Gilbert walked the streets of Manhattan, looking for a place to stay. Since they had only a little money left with them, they had to settle for some place cheap for the time being.

The brothers arrived at a cheap motel and went into the lobby. The man at the check-in/checkout desk looked bored while reading the sports page of the paper and smoking a cigar.

Gilbert plugged his nose. "Roddy, West, make this guy not smoke. It stinks in here."

Ludwig plugged his nose, too. "I know, Gilbo. Man, I'm glad Feli's not here; he has asthma and can't be near smoke."

Roderich ignored them and dragged them up to the desk. He spoke to the clerk. "Hi, I'd like a room, please. Two twin beds, if possible."

The clerk looked at Roderich, then went back to his paper. "You alone?"

"No," Roderich said. He indicated his brothers, who were on either side of him. Ludwig and Gilbert were both still plugging their noses because of the foul odor of the cigar.

"Luggage?" the clerk asked once he saw that Roderich had two kids with him.

"No," Ludwig replied.

"How long do you want it for?" the clerk asked.

"Uh, a pretty long-ass time," said Roderich.

"Okay, that'll be $49," said the clerk.

"$49?" Roderich exclaimed. "That's all the money we have!"

"Either you pay for the room, or you'll have to leave," said the clerk. "This isn't a shelter."

Roderich sighed and fished out the remaining money he had with him. "Okay, here."

The clerk took the money, put his cigar out, and handed Roderich a card key to the room. "Here. Room 387."

"_Danke," _Roderich said in his native tongue. He took the key and turned to Ludwig and Gilbert, when the clerk asked him something.

"Uh, English, please," the clerk said, not understanding what Roderich said.

"Thank you," Roderich said irritably, rolling his eyes at the ignorant man. Then he turned back to his brothers. "Come on, boys. Let's go to our room."

"Coming," Ludwig and Gilbert said and followed their brother up to room 387.

* * *

><p>The brothers got up to their room and flopped down on the two beds.<p>

"I can't believe it," Roderich said sullenly. "That was all the money we had."

"Yeah," Ludwig said. "And I'm getting hungry, too. What about you, Gilbo?"

"Not me, I'm too tired to eat," Gilbert said through a yawn. He then went straight to sleep, Prussia under one of his arms.

"Now that I think about it, I'm getting tired, too," Ludwig said. He got on the other side of the bed Gilbert was on, careful not to wake his sleeping baby brother, who was now sucking his thumb in his sleep.

Ludwig tried closing his eyes, but found himself unable to get to sleep. "Roddy?"

"What is it?" Roderich asked, getting in the other twin bed in the room.

Ludwig swallowed before continuing. "I…I miss Mom and Dad. I wish they were here."

"I know, Lui," Roderich said sympathetically. "I do, too. Try and get some sleep, okay, little bro?"

"Okay," Ludwig said. He lay down, and was asleep within seconds.

Roderich went to sleep as well.

All three boys slept the whole night, until they were rudely awakened by a loud knock at their door.

* * *

><p>Roderich and Ludwig jolted awake as their door was broken down. Gilbert, however, was still asleep and was now screaming in his sleep for his parents.<p>

"Mommy, Daddy, don't go!" Gilbert screamed. "I don't want you to go! Don't die!"

"Gilbo, wake up," Ludwig said gently, shaking his little brother. Gilbert felt a little warm, so Ludwig felt his forehead once Gilbert was up. "Uh, Roddy, Gilbo's got a little fever right now."

"Shit," Roderich said quietly. Then he looked up and saw the clerk from the night before. "Uh, what is it, sir?"

"Okay, guys, it's checkout time," the man said in a not-so-nice voice. "Either you pay another $49, or I'll have to kick you out."

"But we don't have any more money!" Roderich said.

"Please, don't kick us out," Ludwig pleaded. He showed the clerk a groggy Gilbert. "Our little brother has a slight fever, and we don't think it's a good idea for him to be exposed to the elements right now."

"It doesn't matter," the clerk said, not changing his mind. "If you don't have any more money, get out."

Ludwig put Gilbert down on the bed, stood up, and folded his arms across his chest in a defiant manner. "Make us, Pops."

"Okay, I'll make you, you little German punk!" the now angry clerk said. He picked Ludwig up by the collar of his shirt and literally threw him out of the room. Then he did the same to Roderich.

"Get out of my hotel!" the clerk yelled. "And take this kid and his bear with you!" He threw Gilbert and Prussia at Roderich and Ludwig. Roderich caught Gilbert and his bear, and watched as the clerk slammed the doors on him and his brothers.

Roderich and Ludwig stood up and walked away from the hotel, a now awake Gilbert still in Roderich's arms.

"Where do we go now, big bro?" Gilbert asked.

"I don't know," Roderich replied.

* * *

><p>For the next two days, the Beilschmidt brothers ended up roaming Manhattan's streets once again, sleeping wherever they could, and hiding from any police officers or Social Services people that would occasionally pass by. They had to steal food from hot dog carts, convenience stores, and food vendors in order to eat. Luckily, Gilbert's fever went away due to all the orange juice and milk Roderich and Ludwig stole to make him feel better.<p>

* * *

><p>"We're gonna be stealing food and sleeping in cardboard boxes forever," Ludwig groaned on the third day.<p>

"Don't say that," a voice from behind the brothers said. The brothers screamed, then turned around. They saw that the voice belonged to an African-American man dressed like he was from the Jazz era or something. He also wore a top hat.

* * *

><p>Two teenagers—a white-haired boy and a red-haired girl—were passing by where the Beilschmidts and the mystery man were, when, all of a sudden, the girl flew into a rage and tried lunging at the man.<p>

"AAAAAAGGGGHHHHHHHH!" the girl screamed. She attempted to lunge at the mysterious man. "That damn top hat! I HATE TOP HATS!"

The boy grabbed onto the girl and pulled her away from the group. "Abbey, stop it. You need to get over your hatred of top hats. Seriously."

"Let me go, Allen!" Abbey screamed. "That top hat must die! All top hats must die! It might have belonged to the Millennium Earl! Allen Walker, I said let me go!" She continued screaming while Allen dragged her away from the group, into a car with the rest of his and Abbey's friends.

* * *

><p>Once Allen and Abbey were gone, Roderich had a question for the guy that snuck up on him and his baby brothers.<p>

"Who are you?" Roderich asked suspiciously.

"Me?" the man asked. "Why, I'm Dr. Facilier."

"I'm not gonna get a shot, am I?" Gilbert asked nervously, hiding behind his big brothers. "I don't want a shot."

"No, you won't get a shot from me, kiddo," said Dr. Facilier. "I'm here to help you guys out."

"Really?" Ludwig asked hopefully. "I'll do anything, if it means we don't have to steal anymore!"

"Wait just a minute," Roderich said, pushing Ludwig behind him. "I don't trust this guy. He looks like some con man, if you ask me."

Dr. Facilier got in Roderich's face. "Don't you disrespect me, Four-Eyes! Don't you derogate, or deride."

Dr. Facilier: _**You're in my world now, not your world**_

_**And I've got friends on the other side**_

Just then, some shadows came out of nowhere.

Shadows: _**He's got friends on the other side**_

* * *

><p>Dr. Facilier escorted the brothers to someplace he was staying.<p>

"What's that?" a now very scared Gilbert asked about the shadows singing, shaking like a leaf while Ludwig held him.

"That's an echo, little boy," said Dr. Facilier. "Just a little something we have here in Manhattan. A little parlor trick, don't worry."

Dr. Facilier showed Roderich, Ludwig, and Gilbert to a round table with some chairs, where a young Lithuanian man named Toris Lorinaitis was already sitting.

Dr. Facilier: _**Sit down at my table, put your mind at ease.**_

_**If you relax it will enable me to do—anything I please.**_

_**I can read your future, I can change it around some, too.**_

_**I look deep into your heart and soul**_

"You _do_ have a soul, don't you, Toris?" Dr. Facilier asked the Lithuanian.

"Y-Yes, s-s-sir," Toris replied timidly.

Dr. Facilier: _**Make your wildest dreams come true**_

_**I've got Voodoo, I've got hoodoo, I've got things I ain't even tried!**_

_**And I've got friends on the other side.**_

Shadows: _**He's got friends on the other side.**_

Roderich started getting freaked out, because he could've sworn he saw a mask or two sing.

Toris jumped out of his chair and headed for the door. "Okay, not to be rude or anything, Facilier, but I'm outta here. Feliks was right; this is creepy." He then spoke to the Beilschmidt brothers. "And I suggest you three do the same." He opened the door, left, and slammed it behind him.

Dr Facilier shrugged, then sat down and held out some cards.

Dr. Facilier: _**The cards, the cards, the cards will tell**_

_**The past, and the present, and the future as well.**_

_**The cards…the cards…just take three.**_

_**Take a little trip into your future with me!**_

Just as Ludwig and Gilbert were about to take three cards each, Roderich grabbed their hands. "No, boys, don't! We're going now." He pulled the boys along and left Dr. Facilier's place.

* * *

><p>"Let us go!" Gilbert yelled.<p>

"Roddy, he was gonna help us!" Ludwig shouted hysterically.

"Yeah!" Gilbert cried.

"No, he wasn't," Roderich said. "We needed to get out of there. That young man was right. Something didn't set right with me about that man."

"So, we're back to living on the streets and stealing food again?" Ludwig asked.

"Yeah, I'm afraid so," said Roderich. "I'm sorry, guys."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>_Danke- _Thank you (German)

Abbey is the nickname of my D. Gray-man OC, Abigail Rhodes.


	7. Chance Meeting with Ivan

**Chapter 7: Chance Meeting with Ivan**

Three days after their encounter with Dr. Facilier, Roderich, Ludwig, and Gilbert were back to roaming the streets, stealing food, and sleeping wherever they could find shelter. On the second day, it started raining, so they had to find shelter in a condemned building in order to keep at least a little dry. They also had to share this place with a bunch of other people living on the streets.

One week later, living in the condemned building was beginning to take its toll on the three brothers. Gilbert was, again, getting sick because of the mold and mildew in the place. Not only that, Ludwig was starting to feel run-down as well, which came as a surprise to Roderich, because Ludwig was always a really hearty kid and never got sick. Roderich was starting to think he was losing his mind; his baby brothers were ill, and he couldn't express his frustration through the piano. Plus, he didn't have a harem yet, so he was sad as well.

A day later, Roderich—who had agreed to go out for food runs once in a while just so he was contributing—rushed into the building, food in his arms.

"I got as much as I could carry," Roderich said. He set the food down on an old table. Then he went over to Ludwig and Gilbert, who were both huddled on an abandoned mattress. "Come on, guys. Time to eat."

"'m not hungry, Roddy," Gilbert said weakly. He looked at Roderich with feverish eyes. "I don't feel good."

"You have to try and eat _something_," Roderich said.

"I can't," Gilbert said and turned away from both his brothers.

"He can't even hold his own head up right now, much less sit up," Ludwig explained to his older brother, then turned and looked at his baby brother's shivering form. "I wish I could help him get better, but…"

Roderich sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "Okay, Gilbo, you don't have to eat right now, but you should eat a little something later, okay?" Then he turned to Ludwig, who was staying by Gilbert's side. "Lui, _you _should eat something. You're going to need your strength if you want to help Little Prussia."

"Sorry, Roddy, but I'm not eating until Gilbo eats," Ludwig said. "I just can't eat in front of him like that."

Roderich again sighed in exasperation, then went over to the food he brought. He took some things out of the pile—Snack Packs, chips, and other things he knew his brothers liked—and went back to Lui and Gilbo. Then he waited until later that day, when Gilbert was willing to give eating something a shot, to start chowing down. Roderich made a disgusted face at the Snack pack pudding cup he was eating.

Ludwig rolled his eyes. "What's wrong, Roddy?" He was helping Gilbert sit up so he could get some chocolate pudding in his stomach.

"This stuff tastes so…blech," Roderich said.

"What's wrong with you?" one of the homeless people said. "I love Snack packs!"

"Weirdo," said another homeless person. She, of course, was looking directly at Roderich.

"Oh, picky, picky, picky," another homeless person commented on Roderich's attitude towards the food.

"Funny," Ludwig said. "You're the guy who picked this stuff out."

"Yeah, but that's only because I know you and Little Prussia like that junk," said Roderich.

"Hey, man, don't call your baby bro the name of a dead country," said a sixteen-year-old runaway named Joey Wheeler. He and his sister, Serenity, were eating a couple small bags of chips.

"Yeah," Serenity agreed.

"Hey, Prussia's not dead," Gilbert said to the Wheeler siblings. "It's just invisible. It's just hiding from Russia. That's what…my mommy…said." He again became upset after mentioning his mother. "I want Mommy and Daddy back."

"I know, Gilbo," Ludwig said gently and wrapped Gilbert up in a blanket. "I want them back, too."

Joey and Serenity looked at each other, confused by what Gilbert had said about Prussia.

"Joey, why would Prussia hide from Russia?" Serenity said. Then she lowered her voice so Gilbert wouldn't hear. "It's not a country anymore; it's just part of Germany now."

"Dunno," said Joey. "I dunno what that kid's parents told him, but they shouldn't have."

* * *

><p>Later that day, into the evening, Roderich took his brothers outside for some fresh air, thinking that it would help them get better. That was when they saw a van pull up in front of the building.<p>

As soon as the brothers saw a couple social workers step out, they hid behind the building and observed what they were doing.

* * *

><p>Joey and Serenity were outside enjoying the evening air as well, until Serenity noticed the social workers coming toward them.<p>

"Joey!" Serenity exclaimed. She pointed at the social workers.

"Oh, no! Social Services?" Joey said. He and Serenity ran towards the building, but were caught by the two social workers, who then led them to the awaiting van.

"Hey! Where are you taking us?" Serenity yelled.

"Let go!" said Joey.

"We're here to help you," one of the workers explained. "You two are runaways, so we have to take you to a group home right now. Get in, and you'll have good food and a warm bed."

"We don't want to go back home!" Serenity yelled.

"We don't want your help," Joey said defiantly. He and Serenity were both pushed into the van. The workers both got in the van and drove off, not even noticing Roderich, Ludwig, and Gilbert eavesdropping on them.

* * *

><p>Roderich breathed a sigh of relief as he kept a hold on Gilbert, who was on his back. "That was close."<p>

"Ja," Ludwig agreed.

"Roddy, I think I'm gonna puke!" Gilbert exclaimed, tears pouring out of his eyes.

"Oh, shit," said Roderich. He hastily set Gilbert down on the grass, where the boy vomited profusely.

"Make it stop! Please, somebody make it stop!" Gilbert cried hysterically.

* * *

><p>Sometime after Gilbert was done throwing up, the boys were sitting on the steps of the building, when they saw a black car pull up in front of the building.<p>

"Roddy, I can't see in the windows," Gilbert said weakly. Ludwig was trying to keep him from passing out.

"They're tinted, _dummkopf_," Roderich said.

A man with platinum blond hair and violet eyes got out of the back of the car. He strode over to the Beilschmidt brothers. The man was of Russian descent, and he wore a pink scarf, long, tan coat, gloves, and boots. His name was Ivan Braginski.

"Hey," Ivan said and smiled cheerfully at the siblings.

"Who are you?" Ludwig asked suspiciously as he held Gilbert close.

"Ivan Braginski," Ivan introduced himself. "You three look like you need a place to stay."

"We do," Gilbert said.

"Not only that, we also need protection from these people who are after us," said Roderich. "If you can't protect us, then go away."

"I can protect you, Four-Eyes," said Ivan. "Now, get up and get in the car. My driver's waiting, and he's not a patient man."

"Okay," Roderich said. "Come on, guys." he led Ludwig and Gilbert to the waiting car, ushered then in, then got in himself. Ivan got in afterwards.

"To my place, Boris," said Ivan.

"Yes, sir," Boris said. He pulled away from the dilapidated building, and the passengers listened to the pitter-patter of yet another shower against the shiny exterior of the car.

"It's a good thing I got here when I did,' Ivan said. He then eyed Gilbert, who was fighting to stay awake in Ludwig's arms. "He's so cute. Can I hold him?"

"Uh…sure," Ludwig said. "Be careful; he's very sick." With that, he handed Gilbert to Ivan.

Ivan looked at Gilbert. "I can help him get better. I have a clinic, and medicine, in my house. When we get there, I'll get your little brother on some IV fluids."

"Thanks," Roderich said, although he wasn't so sure about Ivan.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>_Dummkopf- _Stupid (German)

P.S.: For anyone who doesn't know, Joey and Serenity Wheeler are from _Yu-Gi-Oh_.


	8. At Ivan's House

**Chapter 8: At Ivan's House**

The car stopped in front of a nice-looking dwelling about half an hour or so later. It was still drizzling out, so Ivan had Boris bring him an umbrella.

Boris did as he was told. He picked up the umbrella, got out of the driver seat, opened the back door, and held the now open umbrella out to his employer.

Ivan shook his head. "Nope, not for me this time, Boris. Put it over Roderich and his brothers. They are my guests."

"Yes, sir," Boris said obediently. He held the umbrella over the Beilschmidt brothers' heads as they and the two Russian-Americans headed inside.

"Whoa!" Ludwig exclaimed as he marveled at how nice the interior of Ivan's house looked. "This is nice!"

"Why, thank you," said Ivan. He smiled at the teen and led the brothers into the living room, where two women were sitting and watching TV. They were Ivan's sisters, Katyusha (the eldest) and Natalia (the youngest). "Hey, Kat, Talia, I'm home."

Natalia turned at the sound of her brother's voice and smiled. "Big Brother! My love, you're home!" She jumped up from the couch and ran up to him, embracing him. Not in the familial way, of course, since, for some reason, she was obsessed with Ivan.

"Natalia, get off me!" Ivan exclaimed, struggling to get out of his little sister's hug. "Katyusha, help me!"

"Natalia Braginski, get off him right now," said Katyusha. She pulled Natalia off Ivan.

"Thanks," said Ivan. "Girls, these are Roderich Edelstein and his brothers, Ludwig and Gilbert Beilschmidt." He gestured to the brothers standing with him. "They'll be staying with us for a little while, okay?"

"Absolutely," Katyusha said with a smile. Her smile fell when she saw Gilbert huddled in Ludwig's arms. "What's wrong with the little one?"

"Gilbo's sick," Ludwig replied.

Natalia just stared at Roddy, Lui, and Gilbo. "The eldest one looks like a pimp."

"Hey, I'm not a pimp," Roderich whined.

"Ja, you are," Ludwig argued.

"Guys, please, don't start fighting," Ivan said tiredly. "Now, I'm going to take little Gilbert to the clinic so we can get fluids in him. You can follow me if you'd like." He took a shivering Gilbert from Ludwig and walked off to the clinic, which was in another part of the house, Ludwig following close behind.

Roderich, however, stayed and started flirting with Ivan's sisters. Boris just rolled his eyes and walked away from the scene.

"So, either one of you ladies want to have the honor of becoming part of my new American harem?" Roderich asked.

"_Nyet," _Natalia replied curtly. She glared daggers at Roderich. "I only have one true love: my dear big brother." Her eyes shone when she mentioned Ivan.

Roderich became disappointed. Then he looked at Katyusha. "How about you?"

"No way!" said Katyusha. "I don't want to be part of a harem!"

"Dammit," Roderich groaned. "How am I supposed to get a new harem if no girls will be a part of it?"

"_Hey, Roddy McPimp, stop flirting and get your ass to the clinic!" _Ludwig called.

"Better haul ass to the clinic, Roddy McPimp," Natalia said with a smirk.

"Damn Ludwig," Roderich grumbled under his breath as he caught up to Ivan, Ludwig, and Gilbert.

* * *

><p>Ivan and the boys walked the long way to the other side of the house. It was a while before they spoke. Ivan decided to break the silence when he saw that Roderich and Ludwig were having a glaring contest with each other.<p>

"So, Roderich, I heard you flirting with my sisters," said Ivan. He did not look too happy, not one bit.

"Uh…yeah, I-I was," Roderich said nervously. "I j-just wanted to…w-well…you know, ask them out."

"I'm not stupid," said Ivan. "Neither one of my sisters are going to be a part of your new harem. So back off! If you do that, we'll have no problems." Then he stopped walking and got in Roderich's face. "You understand, da?"

Roderich gulped. "Y-Y-Y-Yes, I understand perfectly."

"Good," Ivan said. He grinned and continued walking, Ludwig and Roderich following.

* * *

><p>Finally, they reached the clinic. Ivan stepped in and gently placed Gilbert on one of the beds in the room. Then he got out some medical supplies and went to work hooking Gilbert up to a bag of fluid. Afterwards, he covered the boy with a light sheet and then a warm quilt due to him being so cold.<p>

"Come on," Ivan said to Roderich and Ludwig. "Gilbert needs his rest. You can see him tomorrow." He and the two older boys exited the room, but Ludwig bolted back in. "Ludwig, I said Gilbert needs his rest. You can't spend the night in there."

"I forgot to give Gilbo something," Ludwig explained. He went up to Gilbert's bed and placed Prussia right beside his baby brother. "His bear. He can't sleep without it."

"Okay," Ivan said. "Now we need to let him rest. I'll show you guys to your room."

"I hope we're not imposing," Roderich said.

"Not at all," Ivan replied and smiled at the pimp. "We have plenty of guest rooms, so it's no trouble. I'll also get some pajamas for you so you're not sleeping in dirty clothes, da?"

"Thanks," Ludwig said.

Ivan and the boys stopped when they reached one of the guest rooms. This room had a twin bed and two bunk beds in it, along with a TV and a toy box.

"Here's your room," Ivan said. "I hope it's comfortable."

"What's with the bunk bed and toy box?" Roderich asked.

"Oh, my sister Katyusha has two children—a little boy and girl," said Ivan. "Their names are Alexei and Anastasia, and they both recently turned seven."

"They're about a year older than Gilbo, then," Ludwig said. "He's gonna be six this year. So, do Alexei and Anastasia live with you and your sisters?"

"Well, they go with their father in Buffalo for the summer," said Ivan. "But during the school year, yes, they live here. The extra bunk bed is for if they have friends over, which, sadly, isn't much, because of Natalia being scary. So, Ludwig, you and Gilbert can have it."

"Cool, thanks," said Ludwig.

* * *

><p>After Ivan brought Roderich and Ludwig some new pajamas, they both got settled for the night. They both felt better to at least have a roof over their heads and warm beds to sleep in.<p>

However, Roderich still couldn't help but feel uneasy about Ivan for some reason.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>_Nyet- _No (Russian)


	9. Out on the Streets Again

**Chapter 9: Out on the Streets Again! Way to Go, Roddykins**

A week passed since the Beilschmidt brothers were brought to Ivan Braginski's house. Both Ludwig and Gilbert were feeling much better now, and all three brothers were being taken care of. Roderich still tried hitting on Katyusha and Natalia, only to continually be rejected by the sisters.

* * *

><p>Ludwig and Gilbert were woken up one morning by the smells of something cooking. Unknown to them, Roderich had gotten up earlier, and was miserably sleeping on the sofa in the living room after—once again—being rejected by Katyusha and Natalia.<p>

Gilbert sniffed the air. "Mmm, what's that?" He grinned, his red-violet eyes alive again after nearly a week of hospitalization. He hopped out of bed, the footsy pajamas that Ivan had given him making him feel comfortable as his little feet touched the hardwood floor of the bedroom.

Ludwig got a whiff of what was cooking as well and descended the stairs with Gilbert. "Smells like pancakes, and maybe even wurst! I love wurst!"

"Hey, West, where's Roddy?" Gilbert asked once he saw that Roderich wasn't with him or Lui.

Ludwig shrugged nonchalantly. "Who knows? Maybe he's trying to get some chicks for his new harem again."

Gilbert laughed loudly, startling Irina, the maid who was, at the moment, cleaning up the mess that Ivan's Siberian husky, Exile, made on the floor. "Roddykins is such a playboy!"

Ludwig laughed a little as they neared the eat-in kitchen, where breakfast was being served. "I know, right? Stupid Roddy."

Ludwig and Gilbert entered the kitchen, a room that had brand-new appliances, including a gas stove. The floor was tiled, and the walls were a sky blue, with soft white cloud designs adorning them. The finished round wood table had a heaping plate of chocolate chip pancakes, another plate with bacon and wurst on it, and a jar of maple syrup and a stick of butter for the pancakes. Also on the table were glasses of cold Sunny D orange juice.

"Wow!" Gilbert exclaimed, his eyes growing wide as he took in the delicious food on the table. "Yummy!" He sprinted to the table and hopped into a seat that had a booster seat attached to it. The youngest Beilschmidt brother bounced and fidgeted happily and grinned as Ludwig hurried to the table as well, sat down next to him, and put two pancakes, a couple slices of bacon, and a wurst on the kid's plate.

"Thanks, West!" Gilbert said, and then started wolfing down his food.

"No prob, Little Prussia," Ludwig said, and then ruffled his baby brother's hair. He smiled as he saw Gilbert practically inhaling his breakfast. He was happy to have Gilbert healthy again.

Roderich walked in, shoulders slumped as he sullenly sagged into a chair across from his brothers and helped himself to some breakfast.

"Big Brother?" Gilbert asked through a mouthful of pancakes.

"What?" Roderich groaned. Then he talked with an authoritative voice…well, as authoritative a voice as someone like _him _could muster. "And don't talk with your mouth full, GilGil. It's gross, and impolite!"

Gilbert swallowed. "Sorry. And don't call me GilGil; you know I hate that!"

"Whatever," Roderich replied, then slowly started eating his food, sulking all the while.

"What's wrong, Roddy?" Ludwig asked with a tilt of his head.

"I still can't get a new harem!" Roderich whined. He dropped his fork and knife on his plate and put his head in his hands just as Ivan and his sisters entered the kitchen. "I'll never have a new reputation as the Playboy of Manhattan! Woe is me! I'll die harem-less!"

Ivan rolled his eyes at the German-Austrian young man. "Big freaking whoop. So you don't have a harem anymore. Is that really so bad?"

"YES!" Roderich exclaimed sadly. "What'll I do if I don't have a harem?! My father would be ashamed!"

"Don't talk about Daddy, Roddy," Gilbert said sadly, a couple tears making their way down the boy's cheeks. Ivan reached over, wiped Gilbert's eyes, and gave him a hug, telling him that it would be alright. "Please don't talk about Daddy like that."

Roderich sighed and put his fork down after taking a bite of a sausage. "Gilbo, I was talking about my _real _father, Frederick Edelstein, the Playboy of Salzburg, Austria."

"But you never even knew the guy!" Ludwig exploded in annoyance. "Mom said that he walked out on her before you were even born, dummkopf! He probably doesn't even know you exist, and if he did, he wouldn't give a flying fuck whether or not you became a playboy like him!"

"Guys, please, no fighting at the table," Katyusha pleaded, trying to get Roderich and Ludwig to stop. "You're upsetting your brother." She gestured at an upset Gilbert, who was being coddled by Ivan.

Roderich and Ludwig immediately stopped yelling at each other and looked over at their baby brother. They felt bad right away about upsetting him further, so they went over to comfort Gilbert as well.

"Ssh, Gilbo, it's alright," Roderich said gently as he hugged Gilbert and stroked his hair.

"We're sorry, Little Prussia, we really are," said Ludwig. He got Gilbert to look at him and smiled. "Don't worry, we won't fight anymore."

"Okay," Gilbert said quietly as Ivan, Roderich, and Ludwig hugged him.

* * *

><p>Later, Roderich was still moping, much to Ludwig and Gilbert's annoyance.<p>

Ludwig and Gilbert were playing Monopoly with Ivan in the living room, when Roderich came in and sullenly trudged to the sofas, then plopped himself there and absently switched to some classical concert that was going on somewhere in Europe.

Ivan landed on a property on the Monopoly board.

Gilbert grinned. "Welcome to Marvin Garden's, Ivan." Ivan couldn't help but smile at how adorable Gilbert looked with his grin with one front tooth missing.

Ludwig was just about to roll when he heard Roderich sigh loudly. He rolled his eyes and turned around to face his big brother. "What's wrong now, Roddy?"

"Natalia and Katyusha _still _won't go out with me," Roderich replied.

Ivan looked at Roderich. "Okay, Roddy, you need to stop going after Katyusha. She is thirty-two: much older than you. No offense, but she's looking for someone her age or close to it. Plus, she has two seven-year-old children—who are two of the sweetest kids on the planet, believe me—and I'm not entirely sure you'd make a good father for them. I think that's Kat's reason, too. Maybe I can convince Natalia to accept a date with you. Hopefully that will make her stop trying to marry me. I've been trying to set her up on dates with other guys, anyway."

"Really?" Roderich asked, brightening up at the prospect of getting a date. "Thank you, Ivan! Thank you! _Danke!_"

"No problem," Ivan said with a smile. He continued playing Monopoly with Ludwig and Gilbert, until Ludwig won in the end. Then he got up and, after a long while, convinced Natalia to go out with Roderich. Natalia agreed, but it took all her willpower to say yes.

* * *

><p>That night, Roderich and Natalia went on their first date. They went to a good Italian restaurant. After their dinner, they went to the movies, where they saw the re-release of the 1997 movie, <em>Titanic<em>, and shared popcorn and candy. It turned out that Natalia had a secret love for romance films, as she was the one who picked the movie. Like a good boyfriend, Roderich put his arm around Natalia and consoled her when she burst into tears over Jack dying in the sinking of the Titanic, then again when Rose died and was reunited with Jack in the end.

The date went well, until Roderich saw Blair walking by after the movie; he had not seen her since they got off the boat! He was overjoyed upon seeing her, and Blair returned his feelings. While Natalia was in the bathroom of the theater, Roderich snuck out of the building with his voyage girl. They started making out in an alley between the theater and another restaurant.

"Oh, Blair, I thought I'd never see you again, _schatzi_," Roderich said.

"I never thought I'd get to hug you again, Roddykins," Blair said lovingly. Then she kissed him. "Or kiss you, my Mozart."

Roderich beamed at the pet name Blair gave him and kissed her again. They both shared a passionate moment, until they heard Natalia's angry and hurt voice. Both Roderich and Blair turned around and saw, to their horror, Natalia, standing in the alley, stricken with terror and hurt over what she had just witnessed: Roderich cheating on her! She looked like she was about to burst into a fresh new batch of tears.

"Uh…Natalia…" Roderich said, surprised that his date was no longer in the bathroom. "I-I…" He let go of Blair and stepped forward, but stopped in mid-walk when Natalia started backing away, fighting like hell to keep the tears from leaking out of her eyes.

"Roddy…how could you?!" Natalia exclaimed, her voice breaking. The tears finally leaked out, as she could no longer keep them back. Her tough exterior was shattered. "I thought you loved me." She turned and started walking away, wiping her eyes as she did so.

Roderich caught up to Natalia and hastily grabbed her arm. "Natalia, please! Please, you don't understand! This isn't what it looks like, honest to—" He was cut off by Natalia's shriek.

"Don't you dare touch me, you ass!" Natalia shouted, pulling her arm out of Roderich's grip. "Stay the hell away from me! I'm telling Vanya what you did, and, I assure you, you'll be out on the streets again!"

Roderich was stunned by Natalia's words and made to go after her retreating form. "Natalia, wait! Please!" He gave up when he saw Natalia get into the limo that had driven him and Natalia to the places they went to on their date. Boris drove off in a hurry, probably after hearing from Natalia what Roderich did.

Blair came out from the alley and put her hands on Roderich's shoulders. "Roddy…"

"I'm sorry you had to see that," Roderich said quietly. "I never meant for this to happen, Blair. I have to go now." He hugged and kissed her, then started to walk back to Ivan's house, leaving Blair confused.

* * *

><p>Sometime later, Roderich arrived back at the Braginski house, where he was face-to-face with an angry Ivan, Katyusha, Boris, Natalia, Ludwig, and Gilbert. Roderich saw that there was a bag packed in the living room and looked first at it, then back at the angry party before him.<p>

"Guys, hi," Roderich said uneasily as he stepped further into the house.

"Don't 'hi' us, Roderich," Ivan said icily. He glared at the Austrian-German with anger and hatred. "I trusted you with my sister, and you went and cheated on her with another woman instead!"

"You asshole!" Katyusha exclaimed. "Now I'm glad I never went out with you! I wouldn't want my kids around someone like _you_!"

"You were supposed to make Natalia happy!" said Ivan. "I trusted you with making her happy, and you betrayed that trust!" He stepped closer to Roderich, who was looking at his little brothers for help. Then he picked up the duffel bag and handed it to Roderich. "I packed some old clothes of mine that don't fit me anymore for you. I want you out of here, right now. This minute."

"But, Ivan, I'm sorry," Roderich said. "I really am sorry! I didn't mean to hurt Natalia! Truly I didn't. Please, don't throw me or my brothers out on the streets!"

"I'm not changing my mind," Ivan said, his glare never wavering one bit, except to look kindly at Ludwig and Gilbert, who were looking first at their brother, then at the man who took them in. "And I never said I was throwing Lui and Gilbo out, did I? I'm letting them stay, because it's not _their_ fault that their big brother's a playboy. _They_ didn't break my sister's heart. Plus, they're just children, and they need a better guardian than _you_."

Roderich couldn't believe what he was hearing. He watched in horror as Ivan went over to Ludwig and Gilbert, took Gilbert in his lap, and put his arm around Ludwig's shoulders. His heart sank when he saw that Ludwig and Gilbert looked upset that they couldn't change Ivan's mind about letting him stay with them.

"Roddykins…why, big brother?" Gilbert asked, sounding as if he was about to cry. "Why'd you do that to Natalia? She's nice."

"Gilbo, I…" Roderich said, but he couldn't think of any way to explain it so that Gilbert would understand without getting angry at him.

"Way to go, Roddykins," Ludwig said angrily. His glare pierced Roderich. "Now we're being separated from you, thanks a bunch!" He looked away from his big brother, ashamed.

Boris took out a gun and pointed it at Roderich while advancing toward the young man. "Get the hell out of Mr. Braginski's house! Now, you insect!"

Roderich left the house in a hurry, not forgetting the suitcase full of clothes. He looked back to see Ludwig and Gilbert looking at him.

"_Roddy!" _Roderich heard Gilbert call out to him as he ran from the house, not looking back. _"Roddy, come back! Please come back!" _It took all his willpower to not go running back into the house, where an armed Boris was waiting, and take his brothers out. He actually had to figure out how to get them out of Ivan's house and take them with him first, and that would take a while…unless he went to Blair.

* * *

><p>Later, Ivan tucked Ludwig and Gilbert into bed. He smiled as he put the covers over the boys. "Good night, you two."<p>

"Night," Ludwig replied quietly.

"G'night, Ivan," said Gilbert. He clutched Prussia as the Russian-American turned on the nightlight and exited the room, leaving the brothers to themselves.

"West," Gilbert said to Ludwig.

"What is it, Little Prussia?" Ludwig asked, turning over and looking at his baby brother.

"I want Roddy back," said Gilbert.

"I know, I want him back, too," Ludwig replied. "I know he's annoying, but he's still our big brother."

* * *

><p>As Ludwig and Gilbert drifted off to sleep, meanwhile, Roderich trudged along the dark streets of Manhattan, until he ran into Blair getting out of a cab. He ran up to her just as the cab pulled away.<p>

"Blair!" Roderich said desperately.

"Roddy?" Blair asked happily. Her smile fell when she saw that Roderich looked terrible. "Roddy, what's wrong? You look upset."

"This guy my brothers and I were staying with…" Roderich began, not sure if he would be able to finish the story. "He…he threw me out…after he found out what happened between me and Natalia after we saw _Titanic_."

"Where are Lui and Gilbo?" Blair asked.

"He kept them in his house," said Roderich. "He told me that my brothers need a better guardian than me…so he threw me out, but kept Lui and Little Prussia there with him and his sisters. I have to get them back!"

Blair looked horrified as she took all this in. Then she put her hands on Roderich's shaking shoulders. "It's alright, Roddykins. I'll help you, I promise. We'll get your brothers back. Who's the guy you've been staying with until now? We're going to have to break into the guy's house and get Lui and Gilbo out while it's still night out."

"His name's Ivan Braginski," said Roderich. "I'll show you where he lives." He took Blair back to Ivan's residence, where the girl marveled at how nice Ivan's house looked.

"This is it," said Roderich.

"Okay," Blair said. She went ahead and started circling the house multiple times, looking for some way she and Roderich could get in and get the boys out. After some tense minutes, Blair emerged back to the front of the house, a triumphant smile brightening her countenance. "Roddy, I found a way in! There's a window that has a light on inside! Come on!" She grabbed Roderich's arm and pulled him towards the place she mentioned: a bedroom window with a light on inside. Roderich and Blair took a look and saw that it was the room that Ivan had let the boys sleep in. The light Blair had seen was a nightlight in a corner.

"Thanks, Blair," Roderich said and kissed his girlfriend on the cheek. "You're the best. Come on, help me open this window, and we'll get the boys out of here."

"Right," Blair said urgently. She assisted Roderich in opening the window, and the both of them silently crept into the bedroom. However, it must have not been stealthy enough, because Gilbert woke up with a startled cry.

"W-West," Gilbert whimpered. He got out of bed and shook Ludwig while shaking in his pajamas. "West, wake up. I n-need you, bro. I'm sc-scared."

"Huh?" Ludwig drowsily asked. Then he noticed Gilbert shaking like a leaf, got out of bed, and picked him up. "There, there. What's the matter, Little Prussia?"

"I heard something coming inside," Gilbert said, his voice muffled due to him burying his face in Ludwig's pajama shirt.

Ludwig, being the protective big brother he was, held Gilbert more tightly and looked around the room like a hawk. "I don't see anything…Roddy? Blair?"

"Huh?" Gilbert asked. He cautiously poked his head up and looked in the direction Ludwig was looking, and then saw Roderich and Blair. "Roddykins! And he's got a girl with him!"

"Ssh!" Roderich and Blair said silently. They rushed over and hushed both boys.

"What are you doing back here?" Ludwig asked, his voice now dropped to a whisper.

"I came to get you guys out," said Roderich. "Blair helped me."

Gilbert went up to Blair as his brothers packed clothes for both him and Ludwig. He smiled. "Hi, I'm Gilbert."

"Oh, so you're Little Prussia," Blair said. "Nice to meet you…finally. My name's Blair." She picked Gilbert up and smiled at him. "Oh my gosh! You're adorable! I didn't meet you before, because the last time I saw your brothers, you had fallen off the boat here."

"Are you gonna be a part of Roddykins' new American harem?" Gilbert asked as he, Blair, Roderich, and Ludwig hopped out the window.

"Sure, why not?" Blair said and grinned, looking at Roderich.

"Blair…you'll be a part of my new harem?" Roderich asked hopefully.

"Of course, my Mozart!" said Blair. She and Roderich hugged.

"Yuck," said Gilbert.

"Get a room!" Ludwig yelled at his big brother and Blair. They glared at him until he said, "We have to get going right now!"

Roderich, Blair, Ludwig, and Gilbert all ran away from Ivan Braginski's house and back onto the cold streets of Manhattan.

"Roddy, do you and your brothers have any place to go?" Blair asked.

"Don't worry about us," said Roderich. "We'll find somewhere to stay for now."

"Why don't you guys come stay with me?" Blair offered.

"No, thanks," Roderich said proudly. "I can manage my brothers on my own. See you later, Blair." He and the boys took off before Blair could persuade them to accept her offer.

* * *

><p>A little later, Roderich and the boys came upon another group of homeless people sitting around a fire and sleeping in or under whatever they could find.<p>

"Come on, boys," Roderich said to his brothers. "Let's join them."

"Okay," Ludwig said as he carried a now sleeping Gilbert while following Roderich to the fire and makeshift shelters.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note: <strong>_Danke- _Thank you (German)

_Schatzi- _Dear; Honey; Treasure (German)


	10. Run-in with Dr Sevarius

**Chapter 10: Run-in with Dr. Sevarius**

After leaving Ivan's house, the Beilschmidt brothers were now back to living on the streets. They were sharing an alley with several other homeless people. Poor Roderich was now stuck with Ludwig and Gilbert complaining about their situation.

Gilbert was weeping slightly while latching onto Ludwig. "I want _Mutti _and _Vati_. I want Blair. I hate living on the streets. Ya should've left me and West with Ivan."

Ludwig had his arm around Gilbert, who was now burying his face in the thirteen-year-old's shirt. He spoke soothingly to Gilbert. "I know, _Kleine __Preußen_. " He drew in a shuddering breath and wiped at his eyes as he mentioned his parents. "I miss Mutti and Vati, too. I'm sorry, little bro."

Gilbert shivered and started sneezing and coughing, then wiped his runny nose. "I-I'm c-cold. And hungry." He cried some more when he looked at Roderich. "Why didn't you bring us to Blair's house? Or leave us at Ivan's?" Gilbert really started bawling when a cold wind blew.

Ludwig shed tears as well and glared at the four-eyed playboy. "Gilbo's right, Roddy. Why didn't you take Blair's offer, or let Ivan take care of us?!" He stopped crying and became concerned when he heard Gilbert cough and sniffle, then looked at his little brother. "What's the matter, Little Prussia?"

Gilbert looked up to see Ludwig's worried face looking at him. He coughed some more and cried again. "I-I'm not feeling good, and I'm cold, and I'm hungry. I want Mommy and Daddy, and Blair, and Ivan."

Ludwig couldn't hold it in anymore and started crying uncontrollably while hugging Gilbert tighter. "I know Gilbo. I'm sorry."

Roderich had enough and whipped around to glare at his brothers. "Will you two _shut the hell up_?! The both of you!" He stood up, picked Gilbert up, slapped him, and dropped the child on the hard ground. Then he slapped Ludwig and shouted at them again. "You ungrateful little brats! Maybe I should've let Jeremie have you back in Frankfurt!" He didn't waver when he saw them shaking. "I risk my ass to save your scrawny necks from being abducted and abused by that monster, and you';re complaining about something as minor as being cold! Well, suck it up, deal with it, and shut your stupid mouths!" He breathed hard before sitting down.

Ludwig and Gilbert huddled together and sobbed quietly after being yelled at and slapped. Ludwig then glared at Roderich and said, "_Halt die Klappe, Bruder!_ This isn't minor, Gilbo's getting sick again! We know you're risking your butt for us, and we're not ungrateful! Don't be so cruel! If you don't want to deal with us, maybe you should let Social Services take us to a foster home! That way you'll get your stupid harem, and we won't be in the damn way! Mutti and Vati would be disappointed in you." He went back to coddling and gently shushing Gilbert.

Roderich looked at his brothers and instantly felt terrible. He drew both boys into a warm hug. "I'm so sorry, guys. I'm so, so sorry. I was just frustrated. I shouldn't have yelled at you, or said those things. I didn't mean it."

Gilbert sniffled, coughed as if he were hacking up a lung, and wiped his eyes and nose. Then he looked at Roderich with big, red-violet eyes and said, "'s'okay, Roddy. I'm not mad at you." He dropped back against Ludwig.

Roderich looked at Ludwig with concern. "How sick is Little Prussia?"

Ludwig felt Gilbert's forehead and jerked his hand back. Then he gave his big brother a worried glance. "He's got a fever!"

"Scheiße," Roderich said worriedly. He took Gilbert into his arms and held him like an infant.

The brothers looked over at the other homeless, then back at each other.

"We're not gonna be like this forever, are we?" Gilbert asked weakly.

"No, you're not," an unknown voice replied, scaring the brothers. A white man with brown hair and a German accent came out of the shadows and approached Roderich, Ludwig, and Gilbert. "You don't have to keep living like this."

"Who are you?" Ludwig asked.

"I'm Anton Sevarius," the German guy introduced himself. He put an arm around Roderich's shoulders as Roderich held Gilbert closer. He then patted Ludwig and Gilbert's heads, and spoke again. "Come, you can stay at my place until you get back on your feet."

"Really?" Roderich and Ludwig asked brightly as Gilbert drifted off to sleep.

"Danke," Ludwig said gratefully while he and his brothers were led to Sevarius' car.

"English, please," Sevarius said.

Ludwig became irritated. "Thank you. You know, you're German, too!"

Sevarius laughed after Ludwig threw something at him. "Ja, I know."

Roderich sighed as the car pulled away. "Wiseass."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note: <strong>Anton Sevarius is from _Gargoyles_.

_Mutti- _Mom or Mommy (German)

_Vati- _Dad or Daddy (German)

_Kleine __Preußen- _Little Prussia (German)

_Halt die Klappe, Bruder!- _Shut up, brother! (German)


	11. The Rescue

**Chapter 11: The Rescue**

Roderich, Ludwig, Gilbert, and Dr. Sevarius arrived at Sevarius' place. Sevarius parked the car, got out, and motioned for the Beilschmidt brothers to get out as well. After the brothers exited the car, they followed Dr. Sevarius into his place.

Ludwig looked around at the place. "This is where you live?"

"Oh, no, no," Sevarius replied. "This is where I do my research."

"You mean we're staying _here_?" Roderich asked. He still cradled Gilbert in his arms.

"Well, I don't have enough room at my place for three more people," Sevarius explained. "So you guys can stay here for right now. It's better than living on the streets and eating out of dumpsters, which you won't have to do anymore, by the way. You'll have good food, warm beds, and, of course, television."

Ludwig brightened up, while Roderich looked wary still. "Can I have a Nintendo Wii in my room?" he eagerly asked the German scientist.

"Nein," Sevarius answered curtly. Ludwig looked disappointed. "That's up to your dorky playboy brother," he added, gesturing to an offended Roderich. Gilbert woke up and laughed weakly.

"Dorky?!" Roderich exclaimed in a whiny voice. "I may be a playboy, _Herr _Sevarius, but I assure you I'm no dork!"

"Says the guy who, back in Frankfurt, Germany, always expressed his anger through Chopin," Sevarius retorted rather immaturely.

"At least it's better than going to the shooting range," Roderich answered back. "My friend, Vash Zwingli—he lives in Geneva, by the way—does that all the time."

"Hey, to each his own, now STOP!" Ludwig hollered at Roderich and Sevarius. "Can't we just get to bed now? Little Prussia needs to rest." He took Gilbert from Roderich and started to go to one of the rooms. He then stopped and turned around. _Gute Nacht_, Herr Sevarius," he said to the doctor. "And thanks again for taking us in." With that, the young teen carried his baby brother to a room with a single bed and a TV in it. Roderich thanked Sevarius, followed his brothers, wished them both a good night, and went to another room for himself.

Ludwig gently set Gilbert down on the bed first before getting in himself; he decided, since Gilbert was sick, to let him sleep in his bed for at least a night. He gave Gilbert his bear.

"Gute Nacht, Kleine Preußen," Ludwig said softly and patted Gilbert on the head.

"Night, West," said Gilbert. Right after, Gilbert drifted off to sleep. Ludwig followed not long after.

* * *

><p>A few days later, the Beilschmidt brothers were still staying in Dr. Sevarius' workplace, but as guests. Gilbert was feeling much better; Ludwig still wanted a Wii (but never got one); and Roderich got a part-time job, enrolled part-time in college, and was now debating on whether or not to enroll his brothers in school. He even let the boys go outside to play with other kids. Ludwig was reunited with his new best friends, Kiku and Feliciano; he even met a girl he took a liking to: Krystiana Łukasiewicz. The two started going out, much to Krystiana's younger twin brother, Feliks', chagrin. Gilbert got to play with Savio and Peter again, and met some new friends! Roderich, meanwhile, was happier due to rebuilding his harem; one of his girlfriends was an upper-class young lady (a very <em>tomboyish young lady) <em>named Elizabeta Hedervary. She kept Roddy the playboy in line and treated Lui and Gilbo as her little brothers. All in all, life seemed to be improving for the Beilschmidts.

Over the next week, the brothers noticed Dr. Sevarius had become very secretive and erratic. Once, he even attempted to give little Gilbert a shot of some strange liquid, claiming it was a normal vaccination. Roderich and Ludwig were starting to keep Gilbert in sight of them at all times. Ludwig moved Gilbert back into his room after that, so he could protect his baby brother twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. This heightened security around Gilbert really got Sevarius' panties in a bunch, so to speak.

* * *

><p>One day, when the sun went down, Ludwig and Gilbert were hanging out with their friends, while Roderich was on a date with Elizabeta. Ludwig, Gilbert, and their friends saw three creatures flying overhead, past them.<p>

"Wow!" Gilbert exclaimed, pointing upwards at the creatures. "Those are big bats. But isn't it a little early for Halloween?"

"I don't think those were bats, Little Prussia," Ludwig told his little brother. He looked up at the sky. "They looked like pterodactyls."

"Pterodactyls?!" a freak-out Feliciano asked in a panicky voice.

"Oh, don't worry about them," Krystiana assured her friends and boyfriend.

"Like, yeah, those are just the gargoyles," Feliks added. "They protect the city."

"There are gargoyles here, too?" Kiku asked excitedly. "Cool!"

"Hell yeah!" said Krystiana's younger sister, Renata.

"You, like, know about gargoyles?" Marek, Renata's twin, asked his eldest sister's Japanese friend.

"_Hai," _Kiku replied. "There are gargoyles in Japan. I've even met them personally."

"Wow," Ludwig, Feliciano, Gilbert, Peter, Savio, Krystiana, Feliks, Renata, and Marek said in awe.

Just as the kids resumed their activities, Roderich and Elizabeta came running towards them.

"Lui! Little Prussia!" Roderich called to his brothers. He and Elizabeta stopped, out of breath from running a far distance. "Man, that's enough running to last me a lifetime!" Roderich whined.

"Oh, Roddy, don't be such a baby," Elizabeta scolded. "Running's good for you."

"Roddy?" Gilbert asked uneasily. "Lizzie?"

"What's going on?" asked Ludwig.

Roderich grabbed the boys and pulled them towards him. "We have to leave Sevarius' place right away! He's crazier!"

"Sevarius?" Feliciano inquired.

"This guy who took us in," Ludwig explained. "He's a scientist, and we've been staying in rooms in his lab. He was nice at first, but lately he's been behaving erratically, and has been really secretive about his work."

"Yeah, yeah, we've gotta go NOW!" Roderich urged. He picked Gilbert up and motioned for Ludwig to follow. "We'll stay with Lizzie and her parents." But just before Elizabeta and the brothers could even start for the girl's house, they were stopped by a crazed-looking Sevarius, who was holding a gun.

"Oh no!" Gilbert whimpered. He buried his face in Roderich's shoulder.

Sevarius grinned evilly. "Let's go, boys. Now!"

"No way in Hell!" said Ludwig. He winced in pain when Sevarius grabbed his arm.

"Let Lui go!" Krystiana yelled. She grabbed onto Ludwig and tried hard to hold on. She was devastated when forced to let go. "No! Lui!"

"Help!" Elizabeta called after seeing the Beilschmidt brothers being forced into Sevarius' car at gunpoint. "Help, somebody! Please!" The three gargoyles from earlier landed on the street.

"What happened?" Brooklyn, a red gargoyle with a beak, asked. "What's wrong?"

"It's our friends," Peter choked out. "This guy, Sevarius, took them at gunpoint!"

"He's doing it _again_?!" Broadway, a chubby, light blue gargoyle, exclaimed.

"Don't worry, we'll get Goliath and Angela, and we'll get them out," said Lexington, a tan, bald gargoyle. He, Brooklyn, and Broadway then took off and went to the rescue.

Krystiana sullenly sat down on the sidewalk. Her siblings followed. "I hope they're not too late."

* * *

><p>Back at Sevarius' lab, Sevarius forced Roderich and his brothers in three separate display cases.<p>

"Now I have a use for you boys," said Sevarius. He filled a syringe with the same strange liquid he tried to inject Gilbert with. Gilbert started crying and called for his brothers' help. Roderich tried in vain to assure Gilbert that everything was okay.

Ludwig banged on the glass of his prison. "Let us out! Why are you doing this?!"

"Hey, I needed test subjects," Sevarius said matter-of-factly and shrugged. He then opened Gilbert's case and took the boy out, getting ready to inject him. "And I have three."

"Help me!" Gilbert exclaimed again.

"Let Gilbo be!" Roderich shouted.

"Hold still, you little brat," Sevarius sneered. He held a struggling Gilbert down on the floor. Sevarius was interrupted by the sound of Brooklyn, Broadway, Lexington, and their comrades, Goliath and Angela, crashing through the roof. "Scheiße. Them again!"

"What are—?" Roderich asked. He started unbelievingly at the gargoyles. "Huge, two-legged bats?! This city's weird."

While Goliath—who has long, dark hair and lavender skin—threw Sevarius against the wall, knocking the guy out, Angela—who, like Goliath, had long, dark hair and lavender shin, except she wore a dress—and Broadway punched the glass of Roderich and Ludwig's prisons, and shattered it. Angels grabbed Roderich by the front of his shirt, pulled him out, and glared at the four-eyed playboy, scaring him.

"Listen, idiot," Angela said. "We're not bats. We're gargoyles!" She dropped Roderich on the floor.

"Ow!" Roderich whined. "Sorry."

Ludwig and Gilbert both ran up to Roderich, who hugged them.

"It's alright, we're okay," Roderich said gently.

"Come on, let's get out of here before he wakes up!" said Brooklyn.

"Right," everyone else responded. The gargoyles and the brothers exited the lab.

"Thank you for saving us," Gilbert said with a smile as he hugged his bear.

"You're welcome, kid," said Broadway. He and the others stopped in their path when they saw two detectives they knew: Elisa Maza and Matt Bluestone. "Hi, Elisa. Hi, Matt."

"Hey, Broadway," said Elisa. "What happened? And who are these kids?"

"I'm Roderich Edelstein, and I'm no kid. And these kids are my cute baby brothers: Ludwig and Gilbert Beilschmidt," Roderich introduced himself and his brothers.

"Hey, I'm not a baby!" Ludwig said to Roderich.

"We rescued these boys from Sevarius," Goliath explained to Elisa and Matt.

"Sevarius?" Elisa asked. "Again with that guy?"

"Yeah," Lexington answered. "He was about to inject the little oner when we stopped him."

"Goliath knocked him out, though," Angela put in.

Elizabeta, Krystiana, Feliks, Renata, Marek, Kiku, Feliciano, Savio, and Peter came running. They stopped when they saw Roderich, Ludwig, and Gilbert—now free of Sevarius—along with Elisa, Matt, and the gargoyles.

"Roddy, thank God!" Elizabeta exclaimed and hugged her boyfriend. "You and the kids are safe!"

"Yes, we are," Roderich said and hugged Elizabeta back, while Krystiana embraced Ludwig; Feliks made a gagging motion behind Krystiana's back, which Renata and Marek laughed at.

"Thank the gargoyles," Ludwig said to Krystiana.

Kiku turned to the gargoyles. _"Arigatou gozaimasu."_

"Kiku said, 'Thank you very much'," Feliciano translated for the gargoyles.

"You're welcome," said Goliath.

"We know Krystiana and her siblings, and Elizabeta, but we never got your names," Broadway said to Kiku, Savio, Peter, and Feliciano.

"Kiku Honda," Kiku introduced himself.

"I'm Feliciano Vargas," Feliciano replied cheerfully. He then gestured to his brother. "And this little guy is my fratellino, Savio."

"Ciao!" Savio greeted his best friend's saviors.

"Fratellino?" Brooklyn asked.

"That means 'little brother' in Italian," said Feliciano.

"And I'm Peter Kirkland, the almighty ruler of the Principality of Sealand!" said Peter.

"No, you're not," Renata and Marek said and rolled their eyes. Peter pouted.

"Nice to meet all of you," Lexington said.

"Roddykins, I have to go home now," Elizabeta told Roderich. "Sorry, but we still need to prepare rooms for you and your brothers at home. My folks are gonna freak if I get home late. See you soon." She and Roderich hugged before she hurried home. Krystiana and her siblings, Kiku, Feliciano, Savio, and Peter went home as well.

"We should find somewhere to stay," said Roderich. "Come on, guys." He picked Gilbert up, and he and Ludwig started walking off.

"Wait," Angela said. "Maybe you can stay with us, until you find a place."

"Really?" Roderich asked. "Thanks."

"No problem," said Brooklyn. "Come on, Matt and Elisa can show you where the entrance is." The gargoyles took off toward the clock tower above the police station. Matt and Elisa, along with the Beilschmidts, drove to the police station. Matt and Elisa showed the brothers where the entrance to the gargoyles' home was. Once Roderich, Ludwig, and Gilbert got settled in, they met an elderly gargoyle named Hudson, and a dog-like gargoyle named Bronx, who let Gilbert ride on his back. They were also notified by Goliath that they would be allowed to stay until they got on their feet, as long as they could help with one important task: Find Brooklyn a mate.

'_Easier said than done,' _Roderich thought.

* * *

><p>After a few hours, and after getting something to eat, the Beilschmidts comfortably fell asleep.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Elisa Maza, Matt Bluestone, Goliath, Angela, Hudson, Bronx, Lexington, Brooklyn, and Broadway are all from _Gargoyles_. Elizabeta, Feliks, and Vash are from _Hetalia_ Krystiana, Renata, and Marek are OCs of mine.

_Herr- _Mr. (German)

_Gute Nacht- _Good night (German)

_Hai- _Yes (Japanese)

_Arigatou gozaimasu- _Thank you very much (Japanese)


End file.
